We recently connected with Kaique Candido and have shared our conversation below.

Kaique, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

I often say that every place I’ve worked has been going through some challenges, and I’ve had to push my creativity to the limit. I got into marketing and studied theater, so creating became a part of my daily life. During one of these jobs, something unusual happened.

A Brazilian influencer with thousands of followers living in the U.S. came to New York to shoot a segment for her YouTube channel at a restaurant. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the chef didn’t show up to greet her. To avoid wasting her trip, she asked if I could film the segment with her.

The video ended up being 50 minutes long, completely improvised. What started as a problem turned into an opportunity to create something more authentic and fun. With my knowledge of improvisation techniques and my background as an actor, I was able to handle the interactions and questions while keeping everything running smoothly.

That day, I thought about hosting a theater workshop for Brazilians to help them improvise, deal with unexpected situations, and learn how to maintain control and move forward. That’s how @project_vana was born—a series of improv classes and a support network for the Brazilian immigrant community living in the U.S. As an immigrant artist, I know how playing theater games and making new friends can improve mental health and benefit the body.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1997, and I grew up in a city called Embu das Artes. Somehow, art has always been a part of my life. I’ve always had a free-spirited personality and communicated well since I was a child. In school and church performances, I was often chosen by teachers and leaders to present seminars or plays.

At 18, I brought my character “Pompeu” the clown to life. I was part of a group of four clowns called “Promoters of Joy” for the multinational company Teleperformance. The clients of this company would share their needs or challenges that needed to be communicated to a large audience, and they would call on our group. Our goal was to create a theater scene or a game to convey the message effectively.

I also worked with a theater company performing children’s plays along the coast of São Paulo and Santa Catarina. The play aimed to raise awareness among children about dyslexia and addressing bullying.

In New York, the VANA project has a similar dynamic. Clients—bar owners, NGOs, restaurants, and schools—reach out to our group to draw attention to their brands and support the Brazilian community in the United States

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

“I believe my first moment of proving my resilience came when I was 16, after my mother passed away. Ten years ago, I lost the most important person in my life, and I had to keep going. I didn’t stop studying, working, or creating, and I managed to stay active in the arts despite the challenges of not having my parents around and living in a country where the political situation was increasingly unstable.

At 22, I arrived in Florida and lived in Miami during the COVID pandemic. I was alone in a foreign country, dealing with a language barrier, and struggling to pay my bills amidst the pandemic. I returned to Brazil in 2021 without job opportunities and behind on rent, but I always kept in mind that it was just a phase and that one day I would be doing theater in New York.

In 2022, when the airports reopened, I went back to Miami, but my focus was always on New York. I first landed in New Jersey and ended up encountering dangerous and unreliable people, leaving me without a place to stay. I packed my bags and set out in search of rooms in New York.

After a lot of struggle and hardship, I believed that everything would eventually stabilize. Today, I have my own studio where I live alone in Harlem, and the VANA Project brings so much light.”

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

“I believe we are in a moment where creatives and artists need to be heard and valued. We’re facing a time when we must create to survive the impacts of climate change, and we have to find ways to communicate in a society that increasingly harbors hatred for what’s different, fears the new, and resists the fresh ideas that can shape our world.

It’s the artists who express society’s pains and create worlds and ideals to address these issues. This society will feel more inspired, represented, included, and excited to support and build a culture together.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doladodekai/
• Linkedin: https://br.linkedin.com/in/kaique-candido

Image Credits

Kaique Candido